Denmark

2. State Duty to Protect Human Rights

2.3 Actions taken [pages 13-14]

Providing effective guidance on how to respect human rights

“The Danish Government is committed to continuously improving and promoting guidance provided to companies on how to work with CSR in general and human rights in particular. To ensure that companies have the right tools and the necessary guidance to handle the new due diligence requirements, the Government has updated the existing web tool, the CSR Compass and the Global Compact Self-Assessment Tool in accordance with the due diligence requirements of the UNGPs. The revised Compass… gives guidance on ways to solve company conflicts by actively engaging in a dialogue with the company’s stakeholders (GP 29). The revised Global Compact Self-Assessment Tool works as a self-Assessment guide to a CSR due diligence going through a questionnaire covering aspects of human rights, worker’s rights, environment and anti-corruption and including a template for a follow up action plan.”

Appendix 2 – Overview of the implementation of the access to remedy

Access to remedy [page 35]

To make it possible for grievances to be addressed early and remediated directly, business enterprises should establish or participate in effective operational-level grievance mechanisms for individuals and communities who may be adversely impacted.

Initiatives taken or planned as a dedicated measure to implement the UNGPs

• The state-based grievance mechanism includes the operational-level as part of its complaints handling process. When a complaint is approved for further consideration, the Mediation and Grievance Mechanism for Responsible Business Conduct encourages the parties (petitioner and respondent) to resolve the matter themselves. This serves to create the basis for a dialogue between the parties. If the parties succeed in resolving the matter on their own, the Institution has no further involvement. The parties must simply notify the Mediation and Complaints-Handling Institution for Responsible Business Conduct within three months from submission of the complaint to indicate whether or not they have found a solution. Matters resolved between the parties are not subject to any form of publication by the Institution.
• The two online tools which help companies to integrate due diligence into their own company and into the businesses of their sub-suppliers, the CSR Compass and the UN Global Compact Self-Assessment tool, both include guidance on company level grievance mechanisms